AS we reach the final few weeks of 2010, Clarets reporter we analyse the ups and downs during a turbulent year at Burnley, from Owen Coyle’s sudden exit, relegation from the Premier League, and life under new boss Brian Laws.

THIS time 12 months ago, Burnley fans were hopeful.

Hopeful of staying in the Premier League, even though they had gone seven games without a win.

After all, if you can beat Manchester United surely anything is possible?

It was against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side that the Clarets began a new chapter.

For just two months after Owen Coyle said he had no intention of leaving Turf Moor, that he was here for the long haul, that he hadn’t brought in players one minute to just ‘up and leave’ the next, he was unveiled as the new boss of Bolton Wanderers.

He didn’t even face the music beforehand.

Rumour was rife of a reunion with the club where he spent two season as a 1990s striker when we arrived at Milton Keynes for the FA Cup third round.

It hit fever pitch when Coyle sent out his assistant, Sandy Stewart, to conduct the post-match analysis for the first time since succeeding Steve Cotterill in November 2007.

A postponement against Stoke City gave the Burnley board a bit of breathing space in when it came to making a new appointment.

But to say it was an unwelcome distraction to their season is an almighty understatement.

Life had to go on, though, and it was an ex-player they turned to themselves when they installed Brian Laws.

The former right back was not the unanimous choice among the fans, yet it was a heart-warming welcome he received from the travelling Burnley fans for his first game in charge at Old Trafford.

And, despite kicking off with a 3-0 defeat, it was an encouraging start for the former Sheffield Wednesday boss. The scoreline had certainly flattered United.

But a week later they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Reading, and 10 days after Laws’ tenure began, they were in the bottom three.

Coyle engineered a 1-0 win over his old club on a hostile night at the Reebok Stadium, doing himself no favours at the final whistle when he gave a thumbs up to the Burnley fans.

It was a particularly peculiar night for the players. Some seemed pleased to see the Scot, and for the opportunity to speak face to face.

Coyle had only been able to contact them by phone on leaving the club. Others appeared to want to disassociate themselves with someone who had completely left them in the lurch.

It was a situation that haunted them, and ultimately Laws, for the rest of the campaign.

There was almost resignation that they were heading back to the Championship.

They picked themselves up to put up a good fight against Chelsea, when the focus fell on John Terry and his alleged affair with one-time team-mate Wayne Bridge’s former partner.

David Nugent scored in a 2-1 win over West Ham to lift them back out of the relegation zone after Laws, who had signed defenders Leon Cort and Danny Fox in the transfer window, as well as young midfielder Jack Cork from Chelsea, also succeeded in extending the striker’s loan deal from Portsmouth.

Left back Fox got the other goal on his debut after arriving from Celtic to secure their first Premier League win in 13 attempts.

But it was a false dawn as they fell at Fulham and Aston Villa in February and slipped up at home to Portsmouth.

Managing only one point from five games in March, ending the month with a narrow East Lancashire derby defeat, left their top flight future hanging by a thread.

The least said about the 6-1 thrashing by Manchester City at Turf Moor the better. Collectively, they were an April shower, certainly in the first half as they trailed 3-0 after only seven minutes.

Three points away from safety, and a goal difference that might as well have made it four, with five games to go. The task was an uphill one, even after April 10, 2010 went down as the day they recorded their one and only Premier League away win – in some style – beating fellow strugglers Hull 4-1 through two penalties from Graham Alexander and a goal each for Martin Paterson and Wade Elliott.

Relegation was confirmed just two games later, following a 4-0 loss at home to Liverpool.

But at least they ended the season on some sort of high by coming back from 2-0 down to clinch a 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite suggestions Burnley would look for a new leader, Laws was charged with plotting the next promotion assault and backed by the board in the transfer market during the summer.

Out went Robbie Blake, Stephen Jordan, Diego Penny, Nicky Weaver, Christian Kalvenes, record signing Steven Fletcher and captain Steven Caldwell, after Joey Gudjonsson had left earlier following a bust-up with the boss.

In came Chris Iwelumo, Ross Wallace, Lee Grant and Dean Marney, while Cork returned for a season-long loan spell at Turf Moor. On paper, Burnley have one of the most enviable squads in the Championship and still boast a good home record, despite a disappointing loss to Leeds in their last game.

But they have yet to live up to that reputation for a long enough period to eat into the lead QPR have established, largely because travel sickness continues to dog them.

In a calendar year, they have dropped from 14th place in the Premier League to 12th in the Championship.

Of course, two games have been missed because of the snow, but neither were at Turf Moor, so there were no guarantees seeing as winning away is something they have achieved only once in the last 12 months.

So what will 2011 have in store?

They still have big ambitions. But Burnley have some way to go in the New Year to ensure that all hope of regaining their place in the Premier League is not lost.